Broncos fall like flakes

DENVER — Sunday night’s game between the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders had the feel of an old AFL showdown at the former Mile High Stadium.

It was a chilling, make that chilly, performance.

Five inches of snow had fallen before kickoff and at least three more had accumulated by game’s end as the wind chill pushed temperatures below zero.

It took both teams most of first half to acclimate to the near white-out conditions, and by then it appeared the Broncos would nurse a 3-0 lead heading into halftime thanks to a field goal that squeaked through the uprights by Jason Elam.

And then, like a tropical heat wave, both offenses warmed up, making big plays along the way despite the cold-playing conditions.

In the end, it was Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter who made the most impact as he finished with a career-best 135 yards receiving and a career-high three touchdowns as Oakland stunned Denver 25-24.

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Denver struck first on an 85-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Rod Smith with 56 seconds left in the second quarter. Not to be outdone, Oakland’s Kerry Collins found Porter for a 42-yard touchdown strike 23 seconds later.

Snow continued to blanket the field in the second half, but it was Denver’s franchise defensive back that failed to fully cover Porter, who found the end zone early in the third quarter and put the Raiders up 13-10. Porter burned Champ Bailey for a second time for his second touchdown.

The Broncos later squandered an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter on big plays from the Raiders’ Ronald Curry and the go-ahead touchdown by Porter.

Broncos players and coaches said the weather was not an excuse for the loss.

“Once you get into the heat of the battle, your body warms up,” Broncos wide receiver Ashley Lelie said. “The ground was the main thing and it wasn’t that slippery and the refs did a good job keeping the ball dry.”

n WILD WEST: The Broncos lost their first division game of the year and fall a game back to the San Diego Chargers, who edged the Kansas City Chiefs earlier Sunday. The Broncos (7-4) will face the Chargers on the road next week.

“We really got to put this one behind us really quickly,” Broncos defensive tackle Elise Johnson said. “It will be a dogfight” next week.

n PLUMMER TO SMITH: The 85-yard touchdown strike from Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer to Smith was the longest completed pass in Plummer’s NFL career and the longest reception in Smith’s NFL career. It was also the eighth longest scoring pass in Broncos history. On the play, Smith outran defensive back Phillip Buchanon, who also returns punts for the Raiders. Smith, with 9,388 total receiving yards, passed Rob Moore to land on the NFL’s Top 25 list for all-time receiving yards.

n DROUGHNS STATS: The Broncos back rushed for 102 yards on 28 carries. He has rushed for 100 yards in six of his seven starts and needs only 54 yards to reach 1,000 for the season.

n WATTS PROJECTION: With two receptions for 27 yards, Broncos rookie wide receiver Darius Watts is in on pace to record 37 catches for 442 yards. Those numbers would make him fourth on the all-time Broncos list among rookies.

n COMMUNICATION GAP: Denver Broncos coaches were asked to refrain from using their electronic headsets to communicate with coaches in the press box after the headsets used by Oakland Raiders personnel malfunctioned during the second quarter. Thirty seconds later, referee Mike Carey announced that the Raiders headsets were functioning properly, so Denver coaches were able to stay in contact with personnel in the press boxes.

n BIG AL: Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan, who has long accused Raiders owner Al Davis of owing him money after his coaching days in Oakland, is now 15-5 against his former team. The Broncos are 8-2 at home against the Raiders under Shanahan.

n BUMBLING, STUMBLING: Broncos defensive tackle Johnson returned an interception 32 yards for the first touchdown of his career. It was the second straight week the Broncos forced a turnover and returned it for a touchdown. Linebacker Al Wilson recorded an interception last week against Aaron Brooks of the New Orleans Saints. It was the first time since 1998 that the Broncos’ defense had back-to-back turnovers for touchdowns. Ray Crockett and Darien Gordon accomplished the feat in 1998.

n CU CONNECTION: Raiders defensive end Tyler Brayton, a former University of Colorado standout, finished the game with four tackles. The last six times that Denver and Oakland have faced off the same week that CU and Nebraska have played (1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003 and this year), the Buffaloes and Broncos have not pulled off the sweep.

n WALLS OUT: Broncos defensive back Lenny Walls separated his right shoulder in the first half of Sunday night’s game and did not return. His status was not immediately known after Sunday’s loss.